As we near the release of Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story next month, the folks at Funko have taken the opportunity to load their latest Smuggler’s Bounty Box with products set in that world – one where The Empire has risen to a point of near unstoppable power. Leading the Rebellion into battle is Jyn Erso – a new hero whose father has ties to the creation of The Death Star, and here we find her ready to fight as a Pop! Vinyl exclusive to the box – joined by one of The Empire’s elite Death Troopers in an exclusive pose.
Out of the many products that Funko has produced over the years, I’ve always had zero interest in their Hikari Vinyl line – Japanese-inspired vinyl figures often released in color schemes far outside the norm. Here we find something unusual, though – and I’ve got a soft spot for it – Darth Vader as a Mini Hikari. In fact, Lord Vader is the first Mini Hikari ever made by Funko, and the chase will be on – he comes in Silver (which we received), Gold, Black, Blue and Red. This glittery transparent version of the mighty Sith Lord is pretty cute.
As usual, there’s an included pin and patch, with K-2SO featured on the pin, and Cassian Andor featured on the patch. While the patch design looks pretty good on paper (quite literally, per the included design card), Diego Luna looks pretty bad (terrible) in embroidered form. The patches look great when they feature aliens or helmeted characters, but this just looks atrocious. Poor Cassian’s eyes appear to be floating in front of his face in 3-D!
For me, the highlight of the Rogue One Smuggler’s Bounty is the t-shirt – a fantastic companion to The Force Awakens shirt I received last winter. It’s just a great design that captures the vibe of the movie poster, but in Pop! Vinyl Form.
Overall, the box is really cool (sans the patch), and the preview of January’s The Empire Strikes Back box (featuring Han Solo and a Tauntaun as a new “Pop! Deluxe”) is the perfect carrot to dangle as Rogue One withdrawals begin to set in.
Learn more: https://www.smugglersbounty.com/
